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Human Resources Administrator

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time

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    • Overview

    Human Resource Administrators provide administrative and general human resources support to all military activities.

    The primary duties of a Human Resources Administrator are to provide:

    • Human resource administration and services
    • Administration of pay and allowances
    • Automated pay systems and information management
    • Maintenance of personnel records

    Work environment

    Human Resources Administrators are employed at all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) bases in Canada, on ships, and overseas, in support of the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, or Royal Canadian Air Force operations. They may also serve in special operation units, medical organizations, recruiting offices, schools, reserve units, NATO/UN positions, and other specialized units throughout the CAF. Opportunities are also available with embassies in countries where Canada has a military attaché.

    Career Overview

    Transcript

    TITLE:

    HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR

    PETTY OFFICER 2nd CLASS CHEYANNE DELARONDE: I’m Petty Officer 2nd class Cheyanne Delaronde, from Vancouver, a Human Resource Administrator, currently posted to Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Ottawa.

    MASTER CORPORAL TYLER CAMERON: And I’m Master Corporal Tyler Cameron, from Abbotsford, British Columbia. I’m a Human Resources Administrator with the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, based out of CFB Petawawa.

    NARRATOR: From the day they walk into a recruiting centre, up to the day that they retire, Human Resources Administrators, or HRAs for short, are responsible for some of the most important details in a Canadian Armed Forces member’s life… like making sure they get paid and that their benefits are all in order, or that their personal file is kept up-to-date when they get married or have a child. DELARONDE: We handle all of the administration paperwork for all our Canadian Armed Forces personnel. We also handle all the pay and allowances that come with that.

    CAMERON: And also prepping files and members for deployment to overseas taskings or domestic exercises as well. Also, we deal a lot with official travel with green passports and insuring that all their travel documents are up-to-date so that there’s no issues for members deploying at any given point.

    DELARONDE: A lot of our job has to do with people’s personal lives and pay, and benefits, that cause worry and concern when something does go wrong.

    CAMERON: People who do like to do administration, we do it well, and the members see that in us – where they have a trust in us to give us a task or ask us a question and they know for a fact that they’re getting the right answer.

    CAMERON: The coolest part of being a Human Resources Administrator is the people that you meet, and some of them you’ll never think will become your friend, but then they become your best friend. And we’re really a close-knit, tight family, and that’s the part I love about the job. We’re all here to help each other; we’re all here to succeed. And just having that is just amazing.

    DELARONDE: I think the best part about being a Human Resources Administrator is helping people. Really making people at ease, to know that they can really count on me to make sure that all of their administration and pay are taken care of and then they don't have to worry about all the background stuff, and concentrate on what their real duties are.

    NARRATOR: Once they complete their trade training, HRAs will be posted to one of the many Canadian Armed Forces bases and operational units across Canada, to serve with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force or even the Special Operations Forces.

    CAMERON: As you start your career, you’ll start off with the stuff that you learned on your trade’s qualification course that you took initially. From there, then you kind of expand as tasks get given to you, you’ll get more complex, more challenging problems, and then you’ll start learning the more complex ways of solving issues that come up on a day-to-day basis for us.

    NARRATOR: In addition to the one-on-one support HRAs provide to members here at home, there are also ample opportunities to deploy in support of Canadian Armed Forces operations and exercises both here in Canada and around the world.

    CAMERON: On overseas deployments you can be doing the same job you’re doing here, just in an overseas environment. Taking care of members there, and then having that liaison back to home, where they can fix the problem, or they can assist in the problem.

    DELARONDE: But essentially you are doing the same job that you would do at home, just with a little bit limited resources.

    CAMERON: If you’re on exercise, you could be sitting in an office doing your admin work, to going out with the guys and trying to help them out with doing what they’re doing if they need an extra hand.

    CAMERON: When I was in Ottawa, I was posted to Canadian Special Operations Force, and with that came a different realm of responsibilities and a different realm of challenges. They definitely are the pointy end of the stick, and they need that trust in you that you’re able to get the job done. They definitely expected elite results and it was beneficial to my career and my personal life.

    CAMERON: Doing something for my country definitely fits into who I am. Every morning I wake up and I put a uniform on that has the flag on, and every day I look in the mirror and I’m beyond proud that I’m able to wear this flag on my left shoulder. And just to have that knowledge that I’m serving my country and I’m kind of working towards a better future for our country.

    DELARONDE: It gave me so many life opportunities; allowed me to travel around the world. It gave me so many people that I’m so grateful to have in my life, that I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet anywhere else if I went any other route. I would do it all over again. The Canadian Armed Forces is an amazing job to have. You get so many experiences you can never imagine being on civilian street.

    Related Civilian Occupations

    • Records Administrator
    • Data Entry Supervisor
    • Receptionist
    • Office Manager
    • Executive Assistant
    • Payroll Clerk
    • Information Management Technician

    Training

    The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or Basic Training, held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) physical fitness standard. As a result, the training is physically demanding, but achievable.

    Learn more about Basic Training here.

    Human Resources Administrators attend the Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre (CFLTC) in Borden, Ontario. Training consists of 90 training days for both Regular and Reserve Forces. The training covers the following topics:

    • Process correspondence 
    • Creating a Unit Personnel File 
    • Creating a Pay File
    • Creating a Leave Record 
    • Process a Posting 
    • Process Payroll accuracy 
    • Process Leave 
    • Process a Rank Change
    • Process a Member’s Terms of Service 
    • Processing Medals, Honours and Awards
    • Process Leave
    • Modify a Marital Status 
    • Modify a Dependent

    Human Resources Administrators may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and/or on-the-job training, including:

    • Recruiting Administration
    • Release Administration
    • Deployed Operations
    • Compliance and Verification

    As they progress in their career, Human Resources Administrators who demonstrate the required ability and potential may be offered advanced training. Available courses include:

    • Policy, compensation and benefits analysis
    • Civilian Personnel Management
    • Military Personnel Management

    Entry plans

    No previous work experience or career related skills are required. CAF recruiters can help you decide if your personal interests and attributes match the criteria for this occupation.

    The minimum required education to apply for this occupation is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 10 or Secondary 4 in Quebec with Grade 10 Applied Math (Math 416 / CST 4 in Quebec) and Grade 10 (Secondary 4) English or French.

    Foreign education may be accepted.

    Part time options

    This position is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Reserve Force members usually serve part time in their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. They are paid during their training. They are not posted or subject to a military move. However, they can volunteer to move to another base. They may also volunteer for deployment on a military mission within or outside Canada.

    Human Resources Administrators may serve with the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy, or the Royal Canadian Air Force and experience the unique challenges associated with these environments. They can be employed providing administrative support to military activities. When they are employed on a part-time or casual full-time basis they usually serve at a CAF headquarters, home port or unit located within Canada.

    Find a Recruiting Centre

    Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. They usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic training, occupational training for Human Resources Administrators takes about 12 weeks and may be conducted at the Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre in Borden, Ontario.

    Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home unit for scheduled evenings and weekends, although they may also serve in full-time positions at some units for fixed terms, depending on the type of work that they do. They are paid 92.8% of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.